keeping up with the vendees

While millions around the world are paying attention to ocean racing via the closest Vendee Globe in history, the folks at the FNOB - the organizer of the Barcelona World Race – are jumping on the live streaming bandwagon today to capitalize on the attention. This is without a doubt one of the world’s best races, and when we heard a couple of months ago that the woeful Spanish economy wouldn’t end the race after just two editions, we gave a little cheer. Apparently, they’ve found some kind or replacement for the King’s “yacht racing tax rebate” that caused such an uproar amongst the Spanish public, meaning possibly another strong fleet of 12-15 boats racing doublehanded around the world.

But that’s all still almost two years away – in the meantime, the FNOB is hosting a couple of hours of live streaming chat today on their site on the subject of ‘Ice Gates & Climate Change in the Southern Ocean’ with some of sailing’s most storied navigators, and you can participate in it via social media, per the promo. There’s also a preliminary Notice of Race available – will you be the next Francois Gabart? Here’s one way to find out.